Design and application of eversion-growing firefighting robot with Yoshimura-ori steering mechanism

Purpose To assist firefighters in extinguishing fires more safely and efficiently, this paper aims to present an eversion-growing firefighting robot that overcomes the maneuverability constraints of existing firefighting robots, which hinder their ability to approach fire sources effectively. Design/methodology/approach The robot uses an everting tube as the body, with the cavity formed during eversion to deliver water to the tip. The loading capacity models are extended by considering the mechanical reinforcement provided by the contact between the everting tube and obstacles. Then the authors design a steering mechanism based on the Yoshimura-ori structure to ensure the robot’s steering capabilities. Furthermore, the authors present a new tip mount for the eversion-growing robot in fire conditions. Findings Experiments demonstrate the robot’s ability to navigate obstacles effectively using the Yoshimura-ori steering mechanism and perform firefighting tasks successfully. Originality/value The robot innovatively overcomes traditional firefighting limitations and integrates the eversion-growing structure with the Yoshimura-ori steering mechanism, demonstrating effective obstacle-traversing capabilities in performing tasks.